Undocumented workers got $4B tax credits

[alp227]

Undocumented workers received $4.2 billion from the Internal Revenue Service last year, according to a new study.

The report, released Thursday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, showed that the IRS allowed people unauthorized to work in the United States to collect billions of dollars in refundable tax credits in 2010, The Washington Post reported.

Under current law, individuals not permitted to work in the U.S. do not receive most federal public benefits — but an increasing number are filing tax returns claiming the Additional Child Tax Credit, which is set up for working families. The IRS says the law as presently written is vague and does not permit them to disallow the claims.

“Clarification is needed on this issue,” TIGTA J. Russell George said in a press release. “The Internal Revenue Service should work with the Department of the Treasury to clarify whether this credit, which is based on earned income, should be paid to those who are not authorized to work in the United States.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62566.html

Most likely this is because those workers had kids born in the US who are citizens per the 14th amendment and Civil Rights Act of 1866. (Politico didn't mention this, and I think that the "illegal immigrants taking welfare" thing is a gross oversimplification that ignores the birthright citizenship issue.)